Vortex pickup device



March 8, 1966 B. WQFOSTER VORTEX PICKUP DEVICE Filed NOV. 12, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 till 11111,; 'I'rl14,

INVENTOR. BERRY M- FOSTER ATTORNEYS March 8, 1966 B. w. FOSTER VORTEX PICKUP DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 12, 1965 INVENTOR. BERRY W. FOSTER Um, MM 54.4.

ATTORNEYS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed NOV. 12, 1963 A TTOR/VEYS RR mm s E .Y W m m M B m Y a B 0 H l 1 a H I fi FI E V .at a pickup nozzle.

United States Patent This invention relates to an improved vortex pickup device, .which maybe usedas a vacuum cleaner or as a pressure cleaning device to p1ck up articles from a surface and carry them away. For example, the invention comprises improvements in home and commercial vacuum cleaners, but the invention is not llmited to vacuum cleaners.

One object of the invention is to increase the vacuum For example, the exhaust of the vortex device of this invention may be connected to a pump intake (e.g., a suction hose) .and give a boost of vacuum as much as 1.75 times that obtained with a conventionalpickup nozzle. For example, on a commercial vacuum the standard intake nozzle may give a suction of 60 inches of water; when the vortex vacuum boost of this invention is used, this same vacuum pump may have a suction of 105 inches of water. As an alternate application, the pump discharge (e.g., a pressure hose) may be connected to the intake nozzle for the vortex; in this arrangement, the suction at the center of the vortex may be as high as 1.5 times the gas pressure at the inlet nozzle.

Another object of the present invention is to increase the ratio of the pickup power to built-in power for vacuum pump motors. For'example, in a conventional vacuum cleaner it takes a certain built-in horsepower to produce a certain amount of pressure reduction or vacuum at the nozzle where pickup occurs; moreover, in a conventional pickup nozzle, the suction is highest when the nozzle is sealed to the surface that is being cleaned, but this high suction is of little value, since there is no air to move the dirt. Consequently the conventional nozzle has to be provided with air inlet grooves, or else it has to be lifted from the floor or rug enough for air to flow and move the dirt. 'When such air flows in the conventional pickup nozzle, its maximum suction decreases appreciably.

In contrast, when the vortex vacuum booster pickup nozzle of this invention is used, the flow of air into the inlet nozzle increases the suction. The high velocity air that flows through the vortex inlet nozzle helps to move the dirt as well as increase the suction, so that the dirt can be more easily suckedinto the suction hose.

For 'hard surfaces, such as wooden cement floors, the vortex vacuum may be provided with an elastic seal between it and the floor; thus its vacuum is at a maximum, and the high velocity inlet gas, which may be steam or air, blasts the dirt etc. free from the floor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vortex vacuum inlet nozzle that efficiently converts part of the atmospheric air pressure head into a velocity head in the vortex chamber, thus helping to reduce the pressure there as well as generate a vortex which has a reduced pressure.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved pickup by and ejection from a vortex-producing nozzle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sim plified vortex vacuum pump in which a relatively short angle less than 360e.g., approximately 270-may be used to obtain a picking-up action which previously required several circumferential turns.

Another object is to provide a vacuum cleaner nozzle which enables observation of its pickup action.

Another object is to provide a cleaner nozzle which prevents the rug or other article being cleaned from being sucked too far into the nozzle.

Another object is to provide a nozzle that gives a scrubbing action during use, so that the nap is lifted and moved and the dirt more easily sucked away.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of some preferred forms thereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a vortex vacuum pickup head embodying the principles of the invention. The output nozzle may be connected to a vacuum pump, or the intake nozzle may be connected to a positive pressure device.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view in elevation and in section'taken along the line 33 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 isa view in elevation and in section taken along the line 44 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a view in perspective of a modified form of the invention in which a single oval-type vortex is used.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the same with a portion broken away and shown in section.

FIG. 7 is a view in elevation and in section taken along the line 77 in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a viewin section taken alongthe line 88 in FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a view in section taken alongthe line 9-9 in FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a view in elevation and in section of another modified form of the invention taken along the line 1010 in FIG. 11.

FIG. 11 is a bottom plan view of the modified form of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the device of FIG. 11, with a portion broken away and shown in section.

FIG. 13 is a view in section taken along the line 13-13 in FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the device of FIG. 11 showing how the rug pile is sucked up during use.

The device of FIGS. 1-4 exemplifies a form of vacuum cleaner head 30 of this invention havingtwo oval vortices 31 and 32 side by side (which also may be elliptical or circular) with a common intake 33 and a common outlet 34. A generally rectangular housing 35 is much wider than it is long, for movement fore and aft over a floor in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1. Depending from a generally fiat upper wall 36 are ellipsoidal or oval vertical partitions 37 and 3 8 that bound the elliptical or oval vortex chambers 31 and 32, which are open at the bottom 39 for the pickup and carrying away of dirt and the like from a carpet, rug, floor, or other surface. The entire device may be made from transparent material, such as a transparent plastic, so that the operator may observe its operation, or only the upper wall 36 maybe transparent.

Through the single intake bellmouth 33, the intake air for both of the chambers 31 and 32 may be drawn in by pulling a vacuum on the output nozzle 34, or a forced air stream or forced steam under pressure may be positively blown in through the intake bellmouth 33. S01- vents may be included in such a blown-in stream. A cusp 40 in the intake bellmouth '33 divides the intake air into two equal streams, and arcuate walls 41 and 42 divert these two streams through nozzle ducts 43- and 44 into the upper end of the chambers 31 and 32, thewalls 41 and 42 blending into the elliptical walls 37 and 38 of the chambers 31 and 3-2. At this location, the generally flat wall 36 may have a split 50, 51 with the portion on the inlet side pushed down to provide the bottom wall of the nozzle ducts 43 and 44 and the top wall of the chambers 31 and 32, while the succeeding portion of the wall 36 is tilted up to provide part of the ducts upper walls 45, 46, blending into the upper wall 47 of 3 the intake bellmouth 33. The nozzle ducts 43 and 44 are of relatively fiat shape, and are small in cross-sectional area as compared with either the cross section of the elliptical chambers 31 and 32 or the cross sect-ion of the intake bellmouth 33.

On the bottom of the vacuum cleaner head 30, the space between the rectangular walls of the housing 35 and the oval walls 37, 38 may be filled by flat partitions 48 that also serve to strengthen the walls 37, 38 and the housing 35.

The outlets from the chambers 31 and 32 are provided partly by a cusp 52 formed by the meeting of curved portions 53 and 54 of the oval walls 37, 38. The cusp 52 lies approximately below the cusp 40 that divides the intake nozzle ducts 43, 44 from each other. The space between the cusp 52 and the outlet nozzle 34 is open, and the air is sucked or blown there. The outlet duct 34 widens rapidly from a narrow intake end 56 to its distal end 57 where it connects with a suction hose or other suitable conduit. In some applictiaons such as rug cleaning it may be desirable to have a narrow beam-like plate 58 connecting the bottom of the cusp 52 and the bottom of the outlet duct 34, to prevent the sharp edge of the cusp -2 from digging into a rug, etc.

When suction is applied to the outlet duct 34 or when a positive air or steam pressure is supplied to the intake duct 33, air enters the intake duct 33, is divided into two streams, passes through the intake nozzle ducts 43 and 44, enters the upper end of the elliptical chambers 31, 32, and whirls around them at a reduced pressure, because the pressure head has been converted to a velocity head as it expands through the throat of the inlet nozzles 43 and 44. Furthermore, the tilt of the intake nozzle ducts 43, 44 is such that the entering action is smooth, and flow is not interfered with by eddies or other interruptions. In this case the sweep is approximately 300 (however, it may be more or less) around the chambers 31, 32, and then the air passes out through the outlet nozzle 34, carrying with it dirt and other particles which it entrained in its vortex passage and thereby picked up from the surface with which its bottom 39 was in engagement.

I have found by experimental action that approximately a 75% increase in pickup suction is achieved by the structure of FIGS. 1-4 with respect to a regular vacuum cleaner head. The vortexv action gives some of the increase in the suction power, and further increase is given by shaping the ejection path as a tangent that widens out, aiding greatly by mixing of the solid particles with the ejected air.

The vortex device may be used to convey liquid or comminuted material such as sand, pulverized coal, and so forth through a duct.

In the nozzle .60 of FIGS. 5 to 9 there is a single oval vortex 61 with an intake 62 and an outlet 63. Its generally rectangular housing '64 is again wider than it is long. Depending from a flat upper wall 65 is an ellipsoidal or oval vertical partition 66 that bounds the vortex chamber 61 which is open at the bottom 67 for the pickup and carrying away of dirt and the like from a carpet, rug, floor, or other surface. The corners of the lower surface are filled in by bottom plate portions 68. The entire device may be made from transparent plastic, so that the operator may observe its operation.

An inlet duct 70 leads from the intake nozzle 62 into the chamber 61, turning the intake air so that it enters tangentially on to the wall 66. In this case entry is at the side wall, not a top wall, but again the entry duct 70 is small in cross-sectional area as compared with either the cross section of the elliptical chamber 61 or the cross section of the intake nozzle 62.

The air passes from the chamber 61 into the outlet 63 by a tangential duct 71. Again, the cross section of the outlet duct 63 widens rapidly from a narrow intake 72 ducts 7 0, enters the elliptical chamber 61 tangentially, and

whirls around it, at a reduced pressure head because the pressure head has been converted to a velocity head as it expands through the inlet nozzle. In this case th sweep is approximately 270 around the chamber 61 and then the air passes out through the outlet duct 71 to the outlet nozzle 63, carrying with it dirt and other particles which it entrained in its vortex passage and thereby picked up from the surface with which its bottom 67 was in engagement.

The vacuum cleaner head 75 of FIGS. 1012 is like that of 'FIGS. 1-4 in having two oval vortices 76 and 77 side by side, but there are two separate intakes 78 as well as a common outlet 79. Its generally oval housing 80 is wider than it is long, for movement fore and aft over a floor. Depending from a generally flat upper wall 81 are ellipsoidal or oval vertical partitions 82 and 83 that bound the elliptical or oval vortex chambers 76 and 77, and a bottom partition 84 lies between the housing side wall and the partitions 82 and 83.

FIGS. 10-14 also illustrate the use of a wire mesh 85 on the bottom of the nozzle 75 to prevent clothes etc. from being sucked too far into the vortex chambers 76 and 77.- The wire mesh 85 also acts as a scrubber to lift the nap so that the dirt can be more easily sucked away. The mesh 85 may be to /s" square. While the mesh 85 could be set in permanently, there are advantages to having it removable, so that it can be taken oif for cleaning hard floors; hence the mesh 85 is shown supported in a cap 86 that fits over the lower end of the housing 80. A gasket 87 may be provided to minimize air leakage at the base.

The entire device may be made from transparent plastic or glass, so that the operator may observe whether the surface is cleaned, or the top 81 only may be transparent.

Through each intake nozzle 78 the intake air may be drawn in by pulling a vacuum on the output nozzle '79, or a forced air stream or forced steam under pressure may be positively blown in through each intake nozzle 78. A

' curved end wall 88 at the inner end of the intake nozzle 78 sends the intake air into the chamber 76 or 77 so that it enters along the fiater portion of the wall 82 or 83 generally in the same direction as the wall itself.

The outlets from the chambers 76 and 77 are provided partly by a cusp 90 formed by the meeting of curved portions 91 and 92 of the oval walls 82 and 83. The space between the cusp 90 and the outlet nozzle 79 is open, and the air passes out tangentially from the walls 82 and 83 into the outlet duct 79, which widens rapidly from a narrow intake end 91 to its distal end 92 where it connects with a suction hose or other suitable conduit.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

I claim:

1. A vacuum vortex pickup device comprising a housing having an elliptical chamber therein, inlet and outlet conduits connected to the housing, each of the conduits includes a wall means extending into the chamber, one of sa d wall means being so positioned within the chamber with respect to the elliptical wall so that the flow of air 1s tangential to the elliptical wall and substantially follows the entire elliptical wall.

2. A vacuum vortex pickup device comprising a hous mghavmg a pair of elliptical chambers therein with the ma Qr axis of each ellipse oriented along a common line,

inlet and outlet conduits connected to the housing, each of the conduits includes a wall means extending into the chamber, each of said wall means being so positioned within the chamber with respect to the elliptical wall so that the flow of air is tangential to the elliptical wall, and substantially follows the entire elliptical Wall.

3. The vacuum pickup device of claim 1 in which an elastic gasket is provided to minimize leakage at the base thereof.

4. The vacuum pickup device of claim 1 in which a screen covers the lower open end thereof.

5. The vacuum pickup device of claim 4 in which the screen is metal and removable as a unit.

6. The vacuum pickup device of claim 1 in which at least the upper wall thereof is made of transparent ma- 15 terial to observe the operation thereof in use.

6 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 8/1956 Germany. 9/ 1959 Germany.

ROBERT W. MICHELL, Primary Examiner.

WA-LTER A. SOHEEL, Examiner. 

1. A VACUUM VORTEX PICKUP DEVICE COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING A ELLIPTICAL CHAMBER THEREIN, INLET AND OUTLET CONDUITS CONNECTED TO THE HOUSING, EACH OF THE CONDUITS INCLUDES A WALL MEANS EXTENDING INTO THE CHAMBER, ONE OF SAID WALL MEANS BEING SO POSITIONED WITH THE CHAMBER WITH RESPECT TO THE ELLIPTICAL WALL SO THAT THE FLOW OF AIR IS TANGENTIAL TO THE ELLIPTICAL WALL AND SUBSTANTIALL FOLLOWS THE ENTIRE ELLIPTICAL WALL. 